They say absence makes the heart grow stronger. When looking at the way some West Ham United fans have been talking about James Ward-Prowse recently, the old adage certainly rings true.
The former England international has not played a single minute of football since Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed in late-September.
James Ward-Prowse hasn’t even appeared on the bench in that time, falling behind the likes of Andy Irving, Guido Rodriguez and youngster Mohamadou Kante in the West Ham United pecking order.
Now, the way some are talking about his continued absence, you would be forgiven for forgetting just how ineffective Ward-Prowse was during those ponderous Graham Potter performances.
In the age of set-pieces, why aren’t West Ham making more of James Ward-Prowse?! 👀
He was getting David Beckham comparisons at one point!
Just to allow Hammers News readers a little peek behind the curtain, there were some matchdays, when your correspondent was working on a ‘player ratings’ article, that the clock hit 60 minutes without there being a single note next to Ward-Prowse’s name.
A ghost in claret and blue. A phantom of bad transfer dealings past.
Club insider Sean Whetstone last week aired the ‘rumours’ suggesting that Ward-Prowse had once lampooned the follicly-challenged Nuno, and is now receiving payback. Others have suggested that the manager simply doesn’t fancy him, having worked with Ward-Prowse briefly during a forgettable loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season.
Whatever the reason, Ward-Prowse’s reputation as the most gifted set-piece taker at the club may also be hanging by a thread. On Monday night’s evidence – Lewis Orford whipping a gorgeous free-kick into the Chelsea net to spark a 5-0 thumping at Rush Green – there is another dead-ball specialist just waiting to shove Ward-Prowse further into obscurity.
Lewis Orford could push James Ward-Prowse even further down West Ham United’s pecking order
Orford stepped up just outside the penalty area and found the near post with an inch-perfect strike.
The greatest argument for a Ward-Prowse recall is that, in a season dominated by set-pieces, his devilish dead balls would come in very handy. If 19-year-old Orford unlocks that free-kick gene himself, though, that would likely remove any remaining reason for Nuno to offer an olive branch.
Nuno has placed high levels of importance in West Ham’s next generation, as emphasised by recent first-team debuts for Mohamadou Kante, Ezra Mayers, Callum Marshall and the involvement of Freddie Potts.
Greg Lincoln hails 5-0 Chelsea thrashing at Rush Green
Orford has been in scintillating form for West Ham’s Under-21s since returning from a loan spell at Stevenage. With Irving leaving for Sparta Prague and Ward-Prowse’s Hammers career surely over, the England Under-20 international may be the next in line for a first-team call-up.
Orford now has five goals and three assists in seven games since returning to his parent club after all.
“I thought the players were outstanding, every single one who played. The team that started and the team that finished,” West Ham’s Under-21 coach Greg Lincoln told the club’s official website after watching Preston Fearon and Josh Ajala build on Orford’s dynamite opener with a brace apiece.
These are West Ham’s most prolific free-kick scorers in the Prem era! 🎯
But can you work out the missing player?
“And I think what you saw out there tonight was us actioning the learning that’s taken place over the last couple of months, certainly from playing against senior teams. It was a very mature performance.
“I thought the decision-making was outstanding; recognising when we could play and when maybe we needed to go into the third line.
“I thought the mentality again was excellent. We talk a lot about attacking with one to eleven and defending as a team as well.
“We’ve been working a lot on the pitch around different cues and triggers. How we defend, where to be, balancing support and cover, but then having the resilience, the mental resilience, to carry that out from minute one to minute 101 takes a lot of effort and energy.
“And I thought the players did that so well, every single one of them.”
West Ham are now up to eighth in 29-club strong Premier League 2 table.
“We talk about maturity,” Lincoln adds. “And there have been performances this season where we’ve completely dominated the ball and dominated territory, but that out-of-possession stuff is so important.
“If you look at any team that’s successful and wins leagues, and probably any table you look at, that goals-against column is huge. You need that foundation to be able to push on.”
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